Banana Flavour Formulas

A basic banana flavour is one of the most straightforward compound flavours to make and learn from. At its core, it is made from just two ingredients: isoamyl acetate and ethyl butyrate. It is so simple that anyone can make it, but it has a long history in North America, as this flavour was available before bananas became a common item of commerce. This history means the flavour can tap into the nostalgia many people hold for this banana-esque flavour. And if you are making drinks, you want that.

Now, the nostalgia attached to this flavour comes from candy, mostly those penny candy banana marshmallows or banana laughy taffy, etc., but so many people have attached memories to them—but have aged out of buying bags of sugar—that putting this flavour into a more modern package, like a cocktail, low abv drink or soda can result in a pleasant experience. This concept plays a core part in the movie Ratatouille, and it is also a core part of human memory. Taste and smell are potent when it comes to feelings of nostalgia, which means we should tap into them.

Here's a quick statement on "artificial flavour," as I tend to avoid using this term because too many people associate artificial with unnatural, which is not true. If you were to make this flavour with just isoamyl acetate and ethyl butyrate, using naturally sourced compounds (distilled), this would be an all-natural flavour. What an artificial flavour really is is something that doesn't taste like anything found in nature; it doesn't mean it is unnatural. Cola flavours are considered artificial but can be made from all-natural ingredients.

The nice thing about the basic banana formula is that all the components can be used in other flavours. As I keep putting out new content, you will find that the core four elements of banana will find their way into many other flavours, like strawberry, raspberry, cherry, etc. This means if you start investing in flavour compounds, these are not unitaskers, and you will find a wide range of uses for them, which will help your wallet.

There are six formulas below, with B003 being the one I made in the video and B001 and B002 being experimental formulas I did to see what worked before I made the video. The rest of the formulas come from a book and a couple of patents listed on The Goodscents Company website. They are posted here so you can understand the components of a formula and you can work any of those compounds found in a formula into the basic formula to create something unique.

If you have any questions, please post them in the comment section.

Banana Flavour: B003

2.00 g Isoamyl Acetate
2.00 g Ethyl Butyrate
0.20 g Methyl Isoeugenol
0.20 g Aldehyde C-16
20.6 g Propylene Glycol

Banana Flavour: B001

6.00 g Isoamyl Acetate 
3.00 g Amyl Valerate
2.00 g Isoamyl Butyrate
2.00 g Ethyl Butyrate
0.75 g Vanillin
0.65 g Clove Oil (Dihydro Eugenol)
0.50 Aldehyde C-16
0.25 g Aldehyde C-8 (orange aldehyde)
30.0 g Ethanol 95%

Banana Flavour: B002

2.00 g Isoamyl Acetate
2.00 g Ethyl Butyrate
0.80 g Isoamyl Butyrate
0.10 g Methyl Isoeugenol
0.10 g Aldehyde C-16
3.00 g Glycerin
24 g Propylene Glycol

Complex Banana Flavour (Novox)

20.00    acetaldehyde
20.00    rum ether
20.00    ethyl butyrate
30.00    butyl acetate
10.00    acetyl isobutyryl
10.00    isoamyl acetate
330.0    isoamyl butyrate
100.0    ethyl oenanthate
5.00    citral
5.00    cassia oil
2.00    eugenol
8.00    cinnamyl isobutyrate
40.0    aldehyde C-16
10.00    ethyl vanillin
5.00    confectionary rose flavor
385.0    propylene glycol

Banana Flavour (Patent 6,426,108)

0.0050    cananga oil
0.0200    clove leaf oil
0.1250    ethyl acetate
0.1330    furaneol 15%
3.4700    isoamyl acetate
0.1250    isoamyl alcohol
0.2000    isoamyl caproate
0.6000    isobutyl acetate
0.4000    isobutyl alcohol
0.0025    linalool
0.0250    acetaldehyde
94.695    propylene glycol
0.1000    3(2)-hydroxy-5-methyl-2(3)-hexanone

Banana Flavour (Patent EP2098586)

20.00    2-methyl-2-pentenyl acetate
0.25    acetoin
70.00    isoamyl acetate
30.00    isoamyl butyrate
15.00    isoamyl isovalerate
15.00    butyl butyrate
15.00    isobutyl butyrate
10.00    ethyl acetate
20.00    ethyl butyrate
0.20    hexanal
0.40    (E)-2-hexenal
3.00    cis-3-hexenal
0.10    delta-dodecalactone
0.05    butyric acid
0.05    isovaleric acid
800.95    propylene glycol